Life Expectancy Of Roof Rats

Rarely do rats live for more than a year in the wild.

Life expectancy of roof rats.

Sexual maturity is attained within 5 weeks and they start mating to produce a new generation of rats. Life expectancy for rats is about two to three years. However many rats die after the first year due to predation and interspecies conflict. The maximum life a rat can have is three years yet the majority of the rats found in populated areas live for maximum one year due to inter species conflict and predation.

The rodents reach sexual maturity in about five weeks and begin mating soon after to produce the next generation to start the rat life cycle over again. Common causes of death for a rat include vehicles domestic cats and some dogs winged animals such as hawks or owls coyotes foxes weasels and snakes. Roof rats are prolific breeders and multiply at a frighteningly fast rate. Just one adult female can create more than 40 new rats in a year.

Rats have no breeding season bu have a breeding system. During that year however they can create a lot of new rats and a lot of damage. As researched by the university of michigan animal diversity web roof rats in the wild live up to is about 12 months. The average rat in the wild will live for around one year with female rats often outliving the males.